Life of a bifurcation in a gravel-bed braided river

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)



Description :
Field data are presented here on a bifurcation in the Tagliamento River, northeast Italy. The planform configuration of the bifurcation and its temporal evolution was monitored by an automatic digital camera during a series of 7 floods with different magnitudes. Digitized maps of the channels provided information on the location of the bifurcation, the width of the anabranches, the angle between them, along with the occurrence and migration of sediment bars. Data were acquired at 2 different water levels. A relationship between width asymmetry and flood magnitude was observed. Moreover, the analysis based on recent theoretical findings pointed out the relevance of a correct assessment of the characteristic temporal scales, as the bifurcation evolves on a timescale similar to that of bar migration and flood duration. Understanding the interactions between these processes is therefore crucial in order to increase the ability to model and predict the morphological evolution of a braided network.


Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Earth surface processes and landforms, issn : 0197-9337, 2012, vol. 37, n°. 12, p. 1327-1336, nombre de pages : 10, Références bibliographiques : 1 p.

Date :
2012

Editeur :
Pays édition : Royaume-Uni, Chichester, Wiley